Today, many devices are available for administering active substances to the body, in particular the throat, lungs or sinuses, via the nose (nostrils) or mouth. These devices may include containers in various forms for delivering OTC and prescription medicaments and other preparations. The user inserts one end of the device container into the nose or mouth, and then squeezes the container, or presses or pushes a tab to break a seal and thereby release the active substance into the nose or mouth. At the same time, the user will inhale, i.e. take a big breath, thereby pulling the medicine into the sinus cavity, throat or lungs.
Unfortunately, many of these devices have been formulated to contain multi-dose preparations. As such, they are complex and cumbersome to use. In one such device several unit dosages are individually sealed in blister packs mounted on a rotating disc. The user breaks a seal on the blister pack each time access to a single dose is required. Often times, however, the consumer desires not to tote around more medicine than he or she will need for a few hours. In other embodiments of devices presently available, a squeeze-type bottle is used to deliver successive dosages of an active to the body. The problem with these latter devices is that for preparations whose delivery must be precise, it is difficult to regulate delivery by the mere act of squeezing the bottle for delivery of dosages.
What is needed, therefore, is a single dose container for delivering an active to the body via the nose or mouth. The device should be simple to activate, lightweight and portable. The container should also be compact, non-permeable, and self-contained. It is further desirable to equip the device with a mechanism which is highly effective at either passive or active movement (or both), hereinafter defined, of the active into the body. In addition to the active substance, the container should also house any solid, liquid or gaseous carrier or any delivery system necessary to contain and administer the active.